Language, Culture and Identity in Two Chinese Community Schools

Sara Ganassin is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Communication at Newcastle University in the UK. She holds a PhD in Education from Durham University. Her research interests include heritage language learning and teaching, migrant and refugee communities, and internationalisation and mobility. Sara has also worked for seven years in the voluntary sector as project coordinator and researcher with migrant and refugee women and young people.

• Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Constructing the Term ‘Chinese’Chapter 3. Research DesignChapter 4. Chinese Community Schools: ‘Spaces for People to Come Together and Learn from Each Other’Chapter 5. One of Many Chinese Heritage Languages: ‘I Can’t Speak Mandarin but When I Speak Cantonese People Think that I am Local’Chapter 6. Teaching ‘Real’ Chinese Culture: The Fable of the Frog at the Bottom of the WellChapter 7. Fluidity and Complexity in Pupils’ Chinese Identities: ‘I am Happy to be Chinese’Chapter 8. Conclusions

An insightful study showing the complex role of Mandarin Chinese as a factor of unity and of tension for diverse British residents of Chinese heritage. It illuminates the power of regional Chinese languages and cultures that demand ongoing negotiation of an intercultural identity within the frame of being Chinese. This is a valuable resource for researchers, course planners and teachers in Chinese and other world languages.